Starbucks Refreshers Strawberry Lemonade Energy Drink Review

Recently another wave of energy drinks crashed onto the Ontario shores and this time it was Starbucks' Refreshers line. I first had a refresher last year when I went to Michigan and now I have access to all the flavours at any time...or until Starbucks decides to pull them from stores. For $2.99 (or $3.49 at some places I saw) you can pick up a can from almost any gas station. I noticed that the 7-11's in my area do not yet carry these, but all the Shell gas stations do.

Taste

At the start you get a well balanced strawberry and lemon flavour without much sweetness. Quickly the light flavours go away and are replaced by light bitterness that is really hard to pinpoint where it comes from.The only thing that it could be from is the green coffee.

The aftertaste is very dry and does carry some sweetener as well as light strawberry and lemon notes that sit at the back of your mouth. There is also some trailing bitterness, but it is not a deal breaker.

The drink is definitely refreshing when cold, but the dryness leaves the package incomplete.

Energy

There are only around 50 mg of caffeine in the can, but I was able to get a very quick boost and perk up within 15 minutes. I felt a little jittery for a few brief moments, but once that passed, the energy was very good. I felt focused and was able to read a few news articles without skipping any lines or paragraphs.

The kick lasted for a little under an hour and there wasn't a crash at end.

Overall, I think these are great for a light boost on a hot afternoon or first thing in the morning, but don't expect a torrent of energy like you would with a Monster or a Rockstar.

Here is a shot of the ingredients and the nutrition info...for reference.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99
Taste - 8.5/10
Energy - 5.5/10

Overall - 14/20...refreshing with a small burst of energy

Best Energy Drinks In Canada Right Now

Recently I got the idea to create a page that keeps track of the best energy drinks (my favorite) you can currently get in Canada and what the best ones are. The goal is to visit the local 7-11's, convenience stores, gas stations, and supermarkets once per month in the areas I travel in (southwestern Ontario, GTA and sometimes to Montreal).

If you have suggestions or changes, please leave a comment below.

NOS

Available at: 7-11, most supermarkets, Wal-Mart and pretty much any other place that sells energy drinks

The original has gone through so many changes since the review, that it no longer ranks near the top, but I am too lazy to update the review.

Jones Whoopass

Available at: Some Hasty Markets across Toronto and at some T&T stores in the GTA

I have rarely seen this outside the GTA

Monster Rehab Orangeade

Available at: Gas stations, 7-11, and some supermarkets

Guayaki Enlighted Mint

Available at: Highland Farms in Mississauga, some health food stores in Toronto

Monster Rehab

Available at: Everywhere Monster is sold. The original is still the easiest to find Rehab

Rockstar Iced

Available at: Gas station, 7-11, and some supermarkets

I think this one is dying. I have been seeing it less and less and the Coconut one, which came out at the same time is no longer carried by the local suppliers.

Fentimans Botanically Brewed Sodas Review

I was at the local Whole Foods a few days ago and came across a bunch of interesting looking sodas. I settled on a selection of Fentimans sodas only because the bottles looked and felt amazing. For $2.99 per 275 mL bottle they better be amazing.

Orange Jigger Soda

Amazing! Extremely refreshing with a slightly bitter undertone. There isn't much sugar which brings out the orange flavour along with a bit of tangerines. The soda is lightly carbonated which made me enjoy it even further.

Curiosity Cola

A little more carbonated than the orange soda and has a very strong caramel aroma. It tastes like a mix between Pepsi and Coca Cola on steroids. Though carbonated, it feels like there is less carbonation than mainstream colas which brings out the flavours. The addition of herbs heightens the flavour even more. This is definitely a cola to try.

Tonic Water

I have had maaaaaany tonic waters because of two reasons - I love tonic water and I love gin & tonics (I have also tried many gins). Though this tastes better than the mainstream tonic waters, it is not the best I have had. I think there is just a tad too much lemon.

Bottom line - the Jigger Soda was the best and will buy it again

Mountain Dew Kickstart Energy Drinks Review

I got a bunch of cheap Mountain Dew Kickstart energy drinks from the US on my most recent trip down south.Vending machines were dispensing these for $1.50, but I got them for $0.99 from a Meijer.

Taste

Orange

As the label says, this drink tastes like orange with an unidentifiable combination of citrus fruits in the background. I say unidentifiable because it tastes like a generic citrus drink with a bit of lime and tangerine poking here and there. Aside from the mix of citrus, the real juice can be noticed briefly at the start and a bit towards the finish before being overpowered by the lime. 

Since there are only 80 calories per can, a sweetener was used and....yes, you can taste a little bit of it in the aftertaste. Fortunately its presence in the aftertaste is nowhere near as heavy as that in drinks labelled as "sugar free" or "diet" so don't be afraid.

Fruit Punch

Not sure what I can say about the fruit punch, other than that it has a very generic taste (OK, it does have a tiny bit more citrus than most generic fruit punches) and that it is carbonated. I guess one thing I might add is that since there are only 80 calories, sweeteners have been used and you can really taste them in the aftertaste. Unlike full diet or "sugar-free" drinks, the aftertaste is not as intense so didn't find it too bad.

If you like the taste of generic fruit punch, need some caffeine and don't want to ingest too much sugar, then this drink is right up your alley.

Energy

I decided to combine this section since both flavours have similar ingredients and work the same way.

There are 92 mg of caffeine in each can, but because there is also some sugar (only about 20 g) the effects are quick and slightly jittery. For the orange flavour, the taste of orange also helps as it pepped me up a bit right at the start. As for the fruit punch, the citrus undertone didn't do much.

Unlike the sugar-full energy drinks, the jitters are minimal and probably if you drank this slowly you would not experience them. Once the caffeine kicks in, you will be moderately energized (read: not uncomfortably energized) for about 1.5-2 hours before you starting coming back down to Earth. I did not experience a crash at the end, which is always good.

Scores:

Cost - $0.99 from Meijer

Taste - 7/10 for each

Energy - 6.2/10

Overall - 13.2/20...both flavours are very generic, but since there is less sugar than comparable drinks, the jitters are kept to a minimum, but so is the energy boost due to the presence of only 92 mg of caffeine

Guayaki Yerba Mate Lemon Elation Energy Drink Review

I have only seen one place that sells this energy drink in Ontario and that is the Highland Farms in Mississauga. A can will set you back $2.99 before taxes.

Taste

Well, the label says it all - this tastes like yerba mate brewed with lemons. The start has a mild sour taste with a lot of lemon flavour and a subtle earthy note. Quickly the places switch and the earthy tones move to the forefront while the lemon ones take a backseat until about the finish. The finish is where, once again, the lemon dominates. The earthy notes quickly disappear leaving you with a lingering fresh taste of lemons.

I like this Guayaki flavour too. The lemon notes seem real and the drink is very refreshing.

Energy

Like the previous Guayaki I had, Enlighten Mint, this can contains 150 mg of naturally occurring caffeine. Thanks to the sourness of the drink, the kick I got out of this was much quicker than the mint one, but once I got past the initial burst, the rest was very comparable. 

In about 10-15 minutes I started to feel calm and focused and within another 20-25 minutes I felt energized, but not jittery and over-energized like with some of the sugary energy drinks. The effects lasted for a few hours and there was no crash at the end.

Once again, I am very satisfied with a Guayaki product. I cannot wait to try another flavour.

Also, here is a shot of the ingredients label. I think I will be snapping photos of these from now on for those interested. Beats typing everything out.

Scores:

Cost - $2.99

Taste - 9.5/10

Energy - 8.1/10

Overall - 17.6/20...refreshing and tasty with a very nice kick

Guayaki Yerba Mate Enlighten Mint Energy Drink Review

After years of waiting and searching I finally found a place that sells these in Canada - Highland Farms in Mississauga. Now I know what you are thinking - why didn't you order them online? Do you know how expensive it is to ship full sized energy drinks across the border? Quite a bit expensive and I have done it on a few occasions with other energy drinks.

Taste

As soon as you pop the tab open, you are hit by a strong wave of mint and honey that quickly fills the air around the drink. The strong mint aroma jolted my brain from semi-awake to fully-awake.The drink is absolutely fantastic. 

Like the aroma, there is a strong mint note at the start. Some honey comes right after with earthy tea notes underneath. The finish is dry and lemony with layers of yerba mate, mint and honey. 

Energy

There are 150 mg of naturally occurring caffeine in the can, which is a lot more than I expected from such a drink. The effects are a bit delayed when compared to a sugary energy drink (not that this doesn't have sugar - 28 g per can), but once you first feel the effects, the boost just comes in a huge wave. It took about 20 minutes for me to feel anything after the initial burst of mint aroma that jolted my mind awake.

There are no jitters and I felt very focused for a good 15-20 minutes. Once the caffeine was fully absorbed, I was ready to get out of the house and run my errands. I felt great for hours and when I didn't experience a crash at the end.

This is one fine drink in my book. I cannot wait to try the other flavours I found.

Scores:

Cost - $2.99

Taste - 9.5/10

Energy - 8/10

Overall - 17.5/20...delicious tea energy drink with a non-jittery energy boost

Monster Energy M3 Super Concentrate Review

Next to Monster's Ubermonster, this bottle looks lilliputian. However, the same amount of caffeine is present in both sizes so ultimately it is up to you to choose how you want to consume the caffeine - a quick "shot" or sip out of a bottle for 20-30 minutes.

Also, this is a twist off...or at least that was the original idea, but the fact is that it was impossible for me to twist the cap off. I used my shirt, my jeans, and it just could not come off. It is not as easy as a bottle of beer, so, I strongly recommend you use a bottle opener.

Taste

This tastes just like the regular Monster. Duuuh! The only different thing is how sweet and intense the flavour is. Hey, you gotta mask the 160 mg of caffeine in a volume that is 1/3 of the normal size somehow. Other than that, there are no other notable characteristics. And yes, it is also carbonated.

Energy

The effects are somewhere between those of a shot and an energy drink. This is small enough to be gulped down in several gulps giving you full access to the 160 mg of caffeine right at the start. Or, you can sip this over a period of time due to its intense sweetness and gain gradual access to the sugar and caffeine.

Once in your system, it takes a few minutes for the sugar to kick in, giving you a quick burst of slightly jittery energy. Soon the caffeine kicks in and get a ton of unfocused energy for a few hours followed by a mild crash if you had this first thing in the morning like I did. For me, if I have such a drink in the afternoon or the evening, the crash is much more severe due to my lack of physical energy later on in the day.

Bottom line is if you like the taste of Monster, but didn't enjoy their energy shots before, this is the closest you will come to getting 160 mg of caffeine without compromising the taste.

Scores:
Cost - $3.49 from a Meijer gas station
Taste - 7/10
Energy - 8/10

Overall - 15/20...tastes like the regular Monster and works the same way too